Dear President Biden,
I am writing to you as Moshe, also known as ChiefGyk3D on social media. As the CEO and founder of Renegade Penguin
LLC, I have built a small business centered around educating people on IT, Linux, Gaming, cybersecurity, 3D printing, and
technology. My audience has primarily been built on TikTok, and I am proud to say that I have grown to become one of the
largest professional tech creators on the platform with over 320,000 followers. TikTok has been instrumental in providing me
with the means to establish an Etsy store and generate enough income to pay off over $6,000 in credit card debt caused by the
pandemic.
I have been a part of the TikTok community for years now and I have come to appreciate the platform for its ability to connect
me with professionals in various fields that I would never have been able to connect with on other social media platforms.
However, I am extremely disappointed and ashamed of the way you, as the President of the United States, have portrayed
TikTok as a threat to American cybersecurity and privacy rights. It is my belief that your fearmongering through ignorance of
technology is misguided and misplaced.
In my opinion, if you genuinely care about Americans’ cybersecurity and privacy rights, there are more pressing issues that
you should be tackling, such as the Equifax data leak, DMV and BMV selling citizens’ information to third parties, and AT&T
and T-Mobile leaking millions of Americans’ data. The recent Lastpass password manager breaches showing an incompetent
infrastructure. These issues are a clear indication that in America, we do not have a right to privacy or security. Any company
or US entity can buy or sell American citizens’ data. What TikTok is doing is nothing new; other social media companies such
as Facebook, Google, and Twitter have been doing it for years.
As an American, how can I perceive China as a genuine threat when the U.S. Army, in collaboration with HBGary Federal,
was found to be tampering with social media in 2011? The U.S. government hired HBGary Federal to develop software
capable of generating numerous fake social media profiles to influence and shape public opinion on contentious subjects by
disseminating propaganda. Moreover, how can I view China as the primary danger when the CIA had Operation Mockingbird
in the 1970s? The truth is that America is now grappling with the anxiety and strategies we employed for years, and we are
apprehensive about experiencing them from the other side. We now have to deal with the can of worms we ourselves opened.
I believe that instead of banning individual companies, we should be passing laws similar to the EU’s General Data Protection
Regulations. This legislation would be a benefit to all Americans and address the issues that you are worried about. It would
also protect us from both government and companies misusing data and hold them accountable for issues with more than a
slap on the wrist.
Furthermore, as a millennial voter, I am disappointed by your fearmongering through ignorance of technology. I believe that
you are out of touch with the millions of Americans and how we communicate, as well as the freedoms of speech and other
liberties that we are granted in the founding documents of this nation. You are merely becoming a diet version of Donald
Trump, but at least he had the courage to say how he really felt with his whole chest. In contrast, you are merely playing
politics.
Finally, I want to remind you that the reason you are in office and the red wave didn’t happen is because of TikTok and the
activism on the platform, primarily by Gen Z. Instead of trying to shut down a large source of my income, which has allowed
me to expand my career in cybersecurity and form my own LLC, I urge you to address the issues that are more pressing and
important for the well-being of Americans.
Additionally, I would like to express my willingness to discuss this matter further with officials or even invite you onto a
TikTok Live, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams I can share with my audience. I believe that a conversation on this issue could
provide valuable insights and perspectives that can help address the concerns surrounding TikTok and other social media..
Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I hope that we can work together towards a resolution that benefits all
Americans.
Sincerely,
Moshe (ChiefGyk3D)
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